News and Notes Archive

The following items were previously posted on the News and Notes page.

WRE Advisor Clinic July 5-6 in Kimberley, BC

There's a rare chance to take a World Ranking Event Advisor Clinic this summer, right here in North America. COF and USOF have joined up to provide this fantastic opportunity at the North American Orienteering Championships this summer. Details are available here (http://www.orienteering.ca/2010/04/world-ranking-event-advisor-clinic-registration-open/).

This clinic is a requirement for those who wish to be an event advisor for a WRE, but it you need not commit to being such an advisor just for taking the clinic. Those who have attended clinics previously say that it is a fantastic course about hosting a high-quality event, applicable to A-meets and national championships just as much as to World Ranking Events.

If you are interested in attending, please fill out the (short) application on the website and send it to . The entry deadline is June 15, 2010.

BAOC President
(May 10, 2010)

Pending Changes to Knowland Park

Wayne Caplinger posted this to the BayONet:

Attendees at the Knowland Park meet were dismayed to learn that the Oakland Zoo is near approval for their plan to fence a lot of our map area and convert it into a zoo expansion.

I'm thinking the club might want to have an official response, as well as individual members' responses.

There is a hearing on Thursday, March 25, 6:30–8:30 at the Zoo.

http://SaveKnowland.org

Here's the response from Nick Corsano (BAOC President):

Thank you, Wayne, for bringing this to my attention the other day, and now to other club members. The board has discussed the matter this week, and the consensus is that we do not have a compelling reason to make an official response. The main reasons are:

1. The expansion is part of the zoo's master plan (which was approved by the City of Oakland long before we started making the map of Knowland), and key club personnel were aware of the plan.
2. The zoo has been extremely cooperative toward us, and that relationship is very valuable.

That being said, however, I encourage interested club members to take part in this dialog as individuals. Just remember that you cannot represent yourself as speaking on behalf of the club.

Nick Corsano

BAOC President

(March 24, 2010)

Survey Open for USOF Logo Design

If you would like to contribute your opinion to the selection of a new logo for our national organization (to be known as Orienteering USA), please follow the link below.

Nick Corsano
BAOC President
(April 22, 2010)

2009 BAOC Service Award Announced

The recipient of the 2009 BAOC Service Award was announced at the Willow Glen social event on December 20. This year's recipient is Jay Hann, who has worked with the BAOC Juniors, and established the COOL (California Outdoor Orienteering League) competition for juniors.

(Dec. 23, 2009)

USOF Board Turns Down JWOC 2013 Bid

Fellow club members,

As reported last night, the USOF Board of Directors, at their meeting in Wisconsin on Saturday, denied BAOC's request that the U.S. submit a bid for the 2013 Junior World Orienteering Championships. Gavin Wyatt-Mair and I represented the club before the Board. We were asked a great many questions, and I feel we had sound answers. There was much positive comment about the groundwork the club had done, but the Board, citing issues with finances and priorities, would not take the decisive step.

I want to thank all the club members who contributed to this project. It could have been a great experience. A big thank you to BAOC's Rosemary Johnson, member of the USOF Board, for her support at the meeting.

I fear it will be several years now before the U.S. steps up to host an international championship. I will write more about this in my President's Corner article in the November Bulletin.

Nick Corsano
BAOC President
(October 25, 2009)

BAOC Board Has Decided to Submit JWOC Bid

Club members,

At its special meeting last night, the BAOC Board of Directors approved a resolution requesting the U.S. Orienteering Federation to submit a bid for the 2013 Junior World Orienteering Championships (JWOC). The vote was the culmination of a lengthy process which began with a special Board meeting in January of this year. At that time, the Board formed a task force to evaluate a possible bid. The six-member task force met many times in person and by phone over the subsequent months. They talked to many orienteers inside and outside of the club, studied the reports of past JWOCs, explored potential orienteering venues in the Tahoe area, made connections with the National Forest Service and held a test meet, checked out housing options, drew up budgets, considered marketing and publicity strategies, and agreed to recommend that the Board move forward. They adopted this mission statement:

"To raise public awareness of Orienteering in the US, and to inspire a new generation of orienteers by hosting international events."

The task force made a presentation to the Board last week. Following IOF guidelines, the plan calls for five events in July 2013. JWOC would begin with a sprint and opening ceremony in Golden Gate Park. It would move up to Tahoe for a long course, two days of middle-distance courses, and a relay, followed by the closing ceremony. These events would be coupled with an internationally publicized orienteering festival and an ambitious and fun-filled juniors program.

The presentation to the Board was followed by an extensive question and answer session. The debate began at that meeting, and was carried over to last night. The members of your Board considered the proposal thoughtfully, and discussed it with sincerity and intelligence before voting.

The next step is for BAOC to present the request to the USOF Board next month. If approved by USOF, the bid will be submitted to the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) in January. The final decision will be made by the IOF in August 2010. There are many steps still to come, and a huge amount of volunteer time and effort, but we may have started on our way to the most exciting moment in BAOC history!

Nick Corsano
BAOC President
(September 22, 2009)

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